Game Description: Join four new unlikely heroes as they battle their way through hordes of the undead... Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone builds on the heart-pounding twin-stick action and tongue-in-cheek humor of the original with even more over-the-top gameplay.

Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone Preview -- Four (Uneaten) Brains are Better Than One

By
Dan Fasulo
- Posted Oct 13, 2011

If there's one thing that gamers can't seem to get enough of, it's wading through a zombie apocalypse with their friends and mowing down hordes of the undead. In the upcoming Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone, developer Backbone Entertainment is giving gamers exactly what they want.

Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone, the sequel to the 2009 game Zombie Apocalypse, follows a similar set-up. Up to four players take control of various players and take on countless hordes of the undead using the familiar top-down, twin stick shooter mechanic. Not content to simply re-release the same game, Backbone added multiple melee weapons this time around, along with specific abilities and weapons tied to each individual character. And while the first game was set more along the lines of the typical "defend against endless waves of zombies," in Never Die Alone, we can expect more of a story, including four distinct characters.

The addition of a story means that players can expect to see two distinct types of levels, the familiar arena style defense levels from the first game, as well travel levels, where the players will move from one point to another, rescuing survivors as they go. Backbone Entertainment has also enlisted the help of Internet personality Pure Pwnage to help craft the story, and even included Jeremy as one of the characters in the game joining Alma, Def Money, and Father Bill in this undead nightmare.

The addition of a more fleshed out story mode adds the ability for players to upgrade their characters as they play through the game by killing zombies and rescuing survivors in order to accumulate money to buy upgrades for their weapons and stats. Each character has their own unique primary and secondary weapon in that makes them feel more distinct. But there's no need to worry about ammo for your weapons - only the secondary explosives are limited, and are replenished by finding specific Yellow Pick Ups in game.

Just in case that wasn't enough ways to kill the undead, each character also possesses a special ability they can use when they fill up a vial of blood next to their health bar. These abilities are often both offensive and defensive - Father Bill's acts as a healing area that also hurts the zombies. Alma can create a turret to help out, while Def Money has a boom-box that distracts the zombies with its phat beats.

While Backbone has spent time to make sure that the AI characters play as well as possible if you go through alone, the game is clearly meant to be played with a few friends. You'll be able to tackle the story or the survival mode with up to three friends either online or in split-screen. Or you can mix and match - play split-screen and take it online.

You'll be taking out zombies in Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone on the PlayStation Network October 25 and Xbox Live Arcade October 26.